Andrew, Disciple of Jesus, Part 1 Saving Your Brother First

“Where’s my brother?” ten-year-old Jacob wondered as he looked around his bedroom. He had been playing with his toys when he noticed two-year-old Dylan had wandered out of the room. Jacob walked out to the backyard and saw his brother’s shoe floating in their swimming pool. Jacob had just watched a movie about a hero saving a girl from drowning and the scene popped into his head. It motivated him on what to do.

Jacob jumped into the water, pulled his brother onto the deck and started doing compressions. In about 30 seconds, Dylan coughed up water and started breathing. After saving his brother’s life, Jacob was hailed as a hero by his family and local law enforcement. But the fifth grader wasn’t so sure about all the fanfare. After being asked if he felt like a hero, he replied, “kind of.”

Andrew was a hero. After being a devoted follower of John the Baptist, he heard the wilderness preacher say, “There He is!” Then, pointing at Jesus, he exclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God!” (John 1:36). At first, Andrew wasn’t sure what John meant. But something deep inside motivated him and a friend to follow Jesus. They wanted to meet this Man. Could this be the Messiah?

When Christ sensed the two were following Him, He turned and said, “What do you seek?” (v. 38). They replied, “Rabbi … where are You staying?” Jesus said to them, “Come and see” (v. 39). So the two spent personal time sitting at the feet of Jesus, drinking in His words.

At some point, Andrew must have looked around and thought to himself, “Where’s my brother? I’ve got to introduce my brother to this Man!” Andrew’s first action after meeting the Master was to think of his own sibling. “He [Andrew] first found his own brother Simon [Peter], and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah.’ … And he brought him to Jesus” (vv. 41, 42, emphasis added).

When we first meet Christ and experience His life-changing touch in our lives, we will naturally want to spring into action and think of those we love, just like Andrew who saved his brother’s life by bringing him to Jesus.

Reflect: Have you ever met someone who saved a person’s life? You can become an Andrew and bring others to Jesus, including your own family members.

Key Bible Texts

Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; (Matthew 10:2 KJV)